Improvement in furnaces



6 2 Sh ts-Sheet 2. P. J. STANTON 86a HUTCH INSON. Furnace.

No. 203,666. I Patented May 14, 1878.

695661;: V 6 Z ld PETERS, PNMMMPNER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

' smoke,

quired to produce certain results;

UNITED STATEs PATENT OEEIc 'PATRIOK J. STANTON AND JOSEPH HUTOHINSON, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEM ENT IN FURNACES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 203,666, dated May 14,1 878 application filed January 28, 1878, g V

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, P TaroK J. STANTON and J osEPH HUTcHINsoN, ofChicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces; and we do herebydeclare that the following is afull, clear, and exactdescriptionthereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference beinghadtotheaccompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification. I

The object of this invention is to improve that class of furnaces inwhich bituminous coal and other smoke-producing fuel is used, so as toprevent the escape of smoke into the surrounding atmosphere, whichcauses great discoloration of the buildings, and is liable to so manyother objections that the consumption of such fuel in furnaces of theordinary construction is forbidden in many cities; and, further, to notonly prevent the escape of but, by consuming it, together with the otherescaping products of combustion, to economize' greatly in the quantityof fuel reand the invention consists in the construction and arrangementof the difierent parts of the furnace, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed, and then specificallypointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinalsection of the furnace as applied to an ordinary tubular steam-boiler.Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the furnace above the grate and on theline as a: of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 represents -a transverse verticalsection on the line 3 y of Fig. 1.

Many attempts have heretofore been made to accomplish the result aimedat in this invention by various devices, such as introducing fresh airinto the furnace back of the bridge-wall, or at the doors over the fuel.Jets of steam have also been introduced to assist in the decompositionof the gases from the burning fuel, all of which have, to some extent,ameliorated the nuisance complained of, but, so far as our knowledgeextends, have failed to completely suppress it.

The drawings show the apparatus applied to a steam-boiler, which isindicated by the letter A. Under this boiler is a furnace, B,constructed somewhat similar to those in common use, the'principaldifference being that a perforated cast-iron plate, 1;, is placed acrossthe furnace in front of the grates a, its rear edge being recessed toform a bearing for the front end of the grates. The perforations in thisplate admit of the passage of cold air from the ash-pit B through thefresh fuel when it is first put in the furnace'and before it becomesthoroughly ignited. This air'carries with it the gases evolved by thefirst heating of the fuel, and, passing backward over the morehighly-heated fuel, becomes ignited, the oxygen carried with it beingsufficient to support the combustion.

O is a second fire-place, which may be about one-third the size of thefire-place B, an experiment showingthis to be a proper proportion, andhaving a separate set of grate-bars. c, which may be arranged asrepresented, or in any other suitable shape; but we have found thatshown, and hereinafter described, satisfactory in practice. Where it isconvenient to have an opening at the side of the boiler, as representedat D, the grate-bars c are placed crosswise, as shown. They are hung onrockers d, and, by means of a handle which may be inserted through theash-pit door into orifices e; in the rockers, are oscillated to shakeout ashes and prevent the formation of clinkers. F is an improved formof bridge wall, and is pref: erably built of fire-brick tiling, but maybe of any other suitable material, and is made with a face fronting thefire at an angle of about sixty degrees. G is a brick wall builtperpendicularly from the ground to the top of the bridgewall F,supporting it and leaving a cavity between them. H is an opening, whichmay be supplied'with a register to admit cold air, which passes out ofthe chamber between the bridgewall F and the back wall G through theopenings f, (shown in the wall G,) a supply of air which will unite withthe flame, and thus complete the combustion of any smoke or gases whichpass the bridge-wall. I is a casting or bearer for the support of therear end of the grate-bars a, which rest upon it. This casting issupported upon a brick arch, the opening in which may be closed by thedamper J. Through this archway the thus furnishing ashes may be removedfrom the fire-placeC,

in case'it is not convenient or desirable to have a side opening, as atD. Through it, also,'is admitted air, by means of the damper J, to theash-pit under the fire-place O. The openings g, shown in this damper,have a registering-slide attached, and as much or little air as isrequired can be admitted. The damper itself need be turned up only totake out ashes from the rear ash '-pit, &c. When not convenient to workit from the side, as shown, it may be worked from the front by suitableconnecting-rods and a bell-crank.

L is a fire-brick-archcd diaphragm, its purpose being to compel thesmoke and gases which rise from the fire in fire-place B to pass closeto the fire in the rear fire-place O on their way to the chimney.

The operation is as follows: Fire is first lighted in B. As the coal orother fuel burns down and becomes red it is pushed back underneath thearch L into the rear fire-place O, and in that manner, after the fire isonce started, a bed of incandescent fuel is constantly kept infire-placeC. The cold-air draft enters through the front ash-pit door, and

passes up through the grate-bars a, and also through the holes in thecast-iron plate I), and, uniting with the smoke and gases of the freshfire in B, it aids in consuming them. Whatever is left unconsumed iscompelled, in escaping through the archway L to pass close down to thered coals in C. The air-draft, being admitted through the damper J,passes up through the grate-bars 0 in fire-place 0, creating a steadyglow of flame, which entirely consumes the smoke and gases which comefrom the fresh fuel in the front fire-place-in s hort, nearly createsperfect combustion.

Should any of it by chance escape combustion in its passage over thefire in G, the admission of cold air to the interior of the bridge-wallat H makes a draft through the openings f, which augments the flamedrawn from the fire in G, keeping it close to the bottom of the boiler,and thus burning'up the escaping smoke, leaving nothing butincombustible gases to pass into the chimney.

Besides using up the smoke and gases, as

above described, this furnace developsal] the heat which the fuel usedis capableof giving out, and so thoroughly distributes it along thesurface of the boiler that the maximum of heat is obtained from theminimum of fuel, and with less than ordinary wear to the boiler. Theinclined face of the bridge-wall shoots the flame up against the boilerand prevents the accumulation of cinders, 850., on top of it. The wall Fis heated red hot, and the admission of cold air at H creates a greatdraft through the orifices f in the wall G, thus aiding the draft to thefurnace and keeping the flame close up to the boiler after it passesover the bridge-wall F.

This burning up of the smoke, soot, &c., allows the flues in the boilerto remain clear, keeping the draft strong, and obviating the necessityof constantly cleaning them out, as in the case of ordinary furnacesburning soft coal. It also prevents the annoying showers of black sootwhich the people of our large cities, in .which bituminous coal is usedas a fuel, so bitterly complain of.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, the following:

1. The combination in aboiler-furnace, of the double fire-chambers B andG, divided by the pendent diaphragm L of the hollow-inclined bridge-wallF, whereby the products of combustion from the front fire is made todive and deflect against the boiler from the rear fire-place by thebridge-wall, substantially as described. I

2. In a boiler-furnace, the combination of the double fire-chamber B C,perforated plate I), diaphragm L, bridge-wall F, and the damper J,whereby the quantity of air to the rear fireplace is controlled, in themanner set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we hereunto affixour signatures in presence of two witnesses.

PATRICK J. STANTON. JOSEPH HUTOHINSON.

Witnesses W. B. J UDSON, J. O. WHITNEY.

